Fighting Games Died When Anime Based Games Were Born

CinemaBlend Games - By Rich Knight, 2007-12-29:

With the interesting Street Fighter IV on the very distant horizon, Rich thinks a more immediate concern is that fighting games in general are pretty much dead, save for the really crappy anime titles that have since graced the consoles.

Dragonball Z pretty much started this whole transition of Cartoon Network to video game console with Budokai on the PS2, and many others followed.

[Mr_Kuwabara]

I actually blame Capcom for abandoning the franchise/genre in general.

[Rice]

Its all for money, man.

[MK_Red]

I've got to disagree. Fighters didn't die. They just are no longer the number one genre. They lost some of their universal appeal. One of the top 5 best games of all time is still a fighting title (Soul Calibur 1).
Just like the FPS titles of last few years, fighters were dominant genre in the earlier 90s.
Street Fighter 4 is coming. Soul Calibur 4 is coming. Mortal Kombat 8 is coming, Tekken 6 is coming, Killer Instinct 3 is probably coming. Is that death of fighting genre? Plus we also had the excellent Virtua Fighter 5 last year.

But I do agree that anime based fighters are hurting the genre. God, I hate them.

[Sam Fisher]

agree with u more.....sh** u even get a bubble + with that aswell

[Lagman83]

its true, the fighting genre has kinda fell out of the limelight in comparison to its old glory days. To call it a dying breed when games are still being made makes his point kinda moot.

as for the anime fighting games killing the genre, fighting games are pretty much the only way I can see justifying a video game release based off an anime. Problem is they have yet to figure out how to make the game good. Once they can figure out how to make an awsome anime based fighting game I can see a new popularity spike for the genre.

Now pure adventure games, those are much more rare. Same with survival horror (although the arguement can also be made that RE keeps that entire genre alive) or how about the point-and-click adventure? (i'm talkin here in the U.S, I know they make a ton of em in japan but we never see em)

[Charlie2688]

actually the "anime" titles were always there (but not in america at least) and were not always western main stream

blame the VERY late blossom of the anime popularity and culture in America for the avalanche and exploitation of recent Anime titles -_- (if you want)

[Charlie2688]

I have actually NO clue what exactly is he complaining about? first he starts with anime titles..the he goes to the lack of 2D game in which he includes Smash Bros for some reason >.> apart from technically omitting what 6-7 other good fighting games?

SO is he complaining about the avalanche of anime titles coming out?
OR the lack of new 2D fighting games? is he talking about 2D graphics or 2D gameplay?...does he even know himself what was the point of his article? why the title even? if he even recognizes there were a LOT of anime titiles a LONG time ago...like DBZ for the SNES?

and Ironically enough many of his complain were answered in the last few weeks specifically by Capcom when asked the whole "2D revival" and why is not really viable to do anymore (they said its much cheaper and faster to make a 3D fighting game than a HD 2D fighting game according to them)

my only recommendation for this guy...start reading and importing more since you don't only have Guilty Gear and Smash bros as your...mmm...well what ever he was refereing with those games

[DevastationEve]

there was always this funny idea i had a long time ago. remember erghiez? that was that 3d fighting game with the charatcers of ff7 and desgins all by the namco team (you can tell). well, i always thought that ff7 as a fighting game should've been done 2d style, like street fighter.

and remember street fighter ex? that was the 3d fighting game, that should've stayed 2d.

now, the gundam fighting games were 2d, but imho should've been 3d: it's SOOO limiting, and we're talking mechs here!

[Prismo_Fillusion]

I think the biggest problem with fighting games in the last few years is that they've barely evolved. The graphics have improved, but the gameplay has almost always remained the same. A lot of fighting fanatics think the gameplay should always stay the same - but it's a generally universal view in gaming that gameplay should always be evolving. I have yet to play a fighting game with a really good story, and there's no explanation for that - that should be one of the *easier* things to work on.

Regarding the anime games...they *ARE* fighting games, so how are they killing fighters? Their quality is more than often crap, but they're fighters nonetheless.

Smash Brothers is a branch of fighters that has been wildly successful; and a large part of that is because it evolved the gameplay. I'd love to see a more traditional fighting game evolve the gameplay, but I'm still waiting for it.

Releasing a new iteration in a fighting series with improved graphics but identical gameplay means nothing to me. It wouldn't sell in any other genre, and it barely keeps the fighting genre alive.

[Xemnas]

What you mean DBZ was a good fighting game B1 2 and 3 it got bad when they started going in the air fighting style. Anyone?

[icechai]

Didn't really understand what you wrote but yeah, DBZ Budokai series was really good, but the characters felt a little bit floaty and didn't have the polish SF series had. I actually really liked the old Super Famicom DBZs that had the split screen when too far away or if one is in the sky and other is on the ground. Those were the days :P

Also Naruto is actually a really good game (for GC and PS2), GC one is like a Smash Bros. clone with more combos, and the PS2 one is just awesome.

Sadly anime games will generally only appeal to fans of that anime.

[QQcrybaby]

Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV, Tekken 6 and Basara X to name a few.

[RecSpec]

No one buys an anime game just because they are looking for a good fighter. They usually buy it because they are a fan. These people overlook the games flaws because they are fans of the material. Fans of anime don't want the main character to go around hunting for coins, they want them to fight with other characters. I think anime fighters actually help the fighting game genre. People are drawn in by familiar characters. Seriously, as good as SSB is, do you think it would have been as successful if the characters were people no one has heard of. If so, why aren't we getting new Power Stone games?

[AAACE5]

Fighting games have lost most of their appeal because gamers want more for their money!

Fighting games should be made like the new Naruto game for 360. You have a story mode, you have the fighting mode, and you can play online!

Or like Tekken tag, where you have the fighting mode, and you have little extras like Tekken bowling. People don't want to spend their money on just a fighting game, especially with the cost of games today!

Plus, alot of the games just have uninteresting characters. Like the Virtua Fighter cast. Which in my opinion is a boring group! None of the characters make me get excited to use them.

I believe fighting games need a complete makeover in order to draw gamers back to this type of gaming!

[Keowrath]

Capcom fighting jam or whatever that piece of crap unpolished excuse for a megamix game was. It had potential but Capcom decided to take a bunch of characters from different games and throw them together without any real thoughts whatsoever. And the same Morrigan sprite that has been with us since the original darkstalkers/vampire.

Capcom got to a stage where they seemed to no longer be bothered, When the king of fighting games brings out mediocre crap and everyone else on the market (save SNK and Sammy) are doing the same people just start to view the genre as mediocre crap. That's what "killed" the fighting game genre. Not anime games.

I'm still a HUGE fighting game fan (God bless the dreamcast) I still have my old Sega console for all the 2d fighting games, all 32 renditions of Streetfighter 2,3 and Zero (maybe I exagerate) MVC, KoF, CvsS, SvsC, Guilty Gear, Fatal Fury, but for the genre to be re-vitalised for your average gamer they need to start bringing out new ideas instead of the same old gameplay with slightly flashier moves that we've been playing for 20 years. The Genre got stale and it needs something new.

[sicknnyc]

Sadly...I own Capcom fighting jam and Its a broken game!
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.
.
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But I blame capcom and Acclaim for not putting more effort into their Franchises. For the sorry excuse of milking us gamers

THANK YOU. GUILTY GEAR X2 and SOUL CALIBER

[Genki]

to include things like physics, procedural animation, weight, interactive environments, more than brain-dead AI, visible and relevant body damage, fatigue, stamina, momentum, better hit/collision detection, non-canned hit reactions, fluidity, and more. I could go on for days.

Basically all the stuff that every and any other genre has enjoyed to further the experience. Fighters have been stuck in 1995 and it sickens me. This isn't even begging for innovation, this stuff has been the natural progression of games for the past decade or so. Every other genre has seen substantial, defining changes to them. From RPGs, to shooters, action adventures, and even ANNUAL SPORTS GAMES have seen greater upgrades than these fighters that we often times wait 3 years for. Pathetic.

That's why.

Evolution, not revolution. It's the reason why shooters are all the rage now, they've essentially been developers canvases for introducing ideas that we've all wanted for some time now. Look at any of the various shooters out today and on the horizon. We all like to moan and complain about them, but they've got some very different feature sets. Half-Life nailed the physics, Halo is an all around, arcadey, well balanced shoot out, UT is fast-paced and over the top, CoD4 has a great blend of twitchy, arcadey gameplay mixed with tactical, semi-realistic action, Timeshift introduces time manipulation, Resistance had the different weapons, Killzone is going all out with physics, procedural animation, over the top effects, etc., and the list goes ON AND ON.

Say what you want about these games, you may hate some of them. I know I do, but they're doing interesting things.

Remember the Tekken 6 tech demo that came out recently? The biggest selling point of their fantastic new engine, was their crappy water physics. I tell ya, that sh*t has such a strong bearing on how that canned, aged, tired old mess is gonna play. That is PITIFUL. Somebody needs to inject some MODERNIZATION into fighters. I'm at the point where I don't give a rat's a$$ about innovation, just give me the stuff that every other genre has been enjoying.

[Drano]

The Japanese Versions of Naruto fighting games are among the best fighting games I've ever played. You don't have to bother yourself learning sixty characters' different combos and patterns, that's some real pick-up and play action.

But Dragonball is starting to slow down, no more innovation whatsoever...

Jump Beyond.

[sicknnyc]

NARUTO 3 on ps2 and DBZ Budakai 3 are some of the best fighters around.

I wish Budakai 3 had online.

[AliC]

The biggest problem isn't so much that anime titles are popular its because they are accessible and actually add something that is generally missing from other titles.

Fighting games in general just have not evolved, its the same tired old formula of sticking 16 assorted fighters in some sort of tournament, you have to fight your way to the boss, rinse and repeat. Its not changed since Street Fighter (yes that one)

Take Tekken 6, 6th generation and from the screen shots I've seen so far aside from the updated graphics it looks like the same old tired game.

If anything Anime games have been trying something new and are a lot more accessible then these multi-combo hitting games you see

[pwnsause]

this is stupid, how about this, "Fighting Games died when FPS games became popular and when consoles had the ability to connect to the net". The Fighting Genre was the number one type of game to show your gaming skills back in the day, like the arcades, when FPS games like Halo appeared, people stopped playing the fighting games and went on to FPS. People stopped going to the arcades, cause the only place to get the FPS experience was on the PC and Consoles, not the arcade. then Consoles received the ability to connect to the internet, you know the rest..

[wind_dragon]

they're just lost in a fog of FPS, Action/Adventure, etc. games.
*Maybe i will buy VF5*

[midgard229]

capcom is making sf 4 which looks bad gameplay wise so thats there fault, the only good 2d fighter is the old marvel vs capcom games and the guilty gear series, well 2d that is, otherwise, dead or alive, soul calibur are doing a great job, also for anime based fighting games the tenkaichi games are pretty good, tho bleach is horrid.

and yeah to much fps's, we dont need this many

[NiteWarrior]

Fightings games deffinetly arent what they used to be =(